ST. MARY'S CITY, Md. (July 27, 2007) - Paired with mouth-watering food and live music, the biggest sailing party of the season is fast approaching, when the Governor's Cup Yacht Race spills onto the shores of St. Mary's College of Maryland in Southern Maryland with over 150 participating yachts. The College will host a throng of party-goers at the post-race bash on Saturday, August 4, beginning at noon.

Dubbed "one of sailing's 10 best parties" by Sailing World magazine, the celebration is on the campus waterfront and includes live entertainment, food and drink. There will be music from The Nautical Wheelers, a tropical rock band beginning at noon, and 25th Hour Band, classic rockers who take the stage at 7 p.m. There is a $5 fee for alcoholic beverage purchases. No coolers are allowed. The awards ceremony begins at 5 p.m. The events are open to the public.

The 2007 St. Mary's College of Maryland Governor's Cup Yacht Race is the oldest and longest overnight race on the Chesapeake Bay. It begins on Friday, Aug. 3 from the entrance of the Annapolis Harbor and finishes the next day on the shores of St. Mary's College of Maryland.

Completed registrations, along with a $75 registration fee, must be received at the College before July 27. From July 27 to August 1, the late registration fee will be $125. Forms are available online. Visit the Web site at www.smcm.edu/govcup or e-mail govcup (at) smcm.edu. To submit registration forms, fax the form to 240-895-4484. For questions about registration call 240-895-3039.

Again, this year Maryland Special Olympics sailors will sail the race to raise awareness of the Special Olympics Maryland Sailing Program. Torre Meringolo, vice president for development of St. Mary's College of Maryland, said, "This year we are looking to expanding the number of sailors from Special Olympics Maryland and continue to bring a new level of awareness to this event and the Special Olym-pics sailing program."

Special Olympics Maryland is a year-round sports organization dedicated to providing quality sports training and competition opportunities to Maryland's children and adults with intellectual disabilities and/or closely related development disabilities. Special Olympics Maryland currently serves 10,000 athletes statewide, and offers 28 sports, all at no cost to the athletes or their families. The Special Olympics sailors train at the college weekly, and the college hosts the annual Special Olympics Regatta for about 100 sailing teams.